If you’ve taken the big leap and joined the ranks of the online video marketers, congratulations! That first video is always the most difficult.

But now that you’ve produced your first video, what’s next? How do you not only maximize the marketing from that video, but also create new video marketing opportunities? Unless you want to succumb to the dreaded “one and done” syndrome, you’ll want to create a strategic marketing plan for using video regularly in your business.

As with any plan, you must begin with the end in mind. The strategy is far more important than what camera you use. What are your business objectives for video? Is it to grow your list? Build your brand? Drive more web traffic? Enhance your credibility? Your goals will determine your direction.

If you said “all of the above” to the video goals we just listed, here are some ideas for maintaining your video momentum…

Create an “expert tips” series to share your expertise. Short, 1 – 2 minute “how to” videos are a great way to increase your credibility and expand your influence.

If you’ve got a blog, add a videoblog post every couple of weeks. The search engines love video, and your readers will be treated to a dynamic change of pace from your traditional blog posts. Extra bonus: Video is much more personal and compelling than print alone!

Get some face time. Use a personal video message or video email to go “face to face” with your clients or prospects. Sending a video greeting, birthday wishes or a thank you video have much more impact than yet another regular email. If you want to stand out and be memorable, use video!

Make it an event. Whether you’re promoting a webinar or launching a new product, nothing makes a bold statement like video. Adding video to your promotional plans makes your webinar or launch look more like a special event. Again, it’s the best way to break through the online clutter and make sure your message gets noticed.

Go Live! You can do a live webcast or offer a “Q & A” video session using free platforms such as Livestream or Ustream.tv. These web resources make it easy to fire up your webcam and go live whenever you want. A live webcast is dynamic, engaging and highly interactive. (You may want to do a test run first, just to get comfortable with the format).

However you decide to use video, it will put your marketing on overdrive and accelerate your results. The secret is consistency and strategy. Make a plan and stick to it. Anyone can make one video. The real winners online will be those who make online video a regular part of their marketing efforts.

For more video marketing secrets, join us for our upcoming free webinar, “7 Strategies to Profit from Video Marketing” on Tuesday, March 27th at 4 p.m. Eastern. Register here.

As a follow up to my last post about using video testimonials, I have to get something off my chest. I check out a lot of videos from my clients and colleagues and I frequently see the same problems that are getting in the way of these smart, talented people getting the best results from YouTube (and other video platforms).

In this 5 minute video I cover three ways you can get better results from the videos you post on YouTube. This applies to any other video distribution platform you use as well. [Click here if you can't see the video.]

This video doesn't cover every single aspect of how to set up your YouTube channel or how best to leverage it. Rather these are few things I see over and over that get in the way of using online video successfully.

I'd love to hear your tips for leveraging YouTube. Please post them in the comments or post a video comment on YouTube.

If online video intimidates you, then I invite you to check out Online Video Made Easy, a self-study course I created with the online video guy, Lou Bortone. It really is easy!

Recently I had the pleasure of talking with my friend and colleague Lou Bortone, also known as the Online Video Guy. He talks about branding and online visibility about as much as I do, only in the context of video. So I snagged about 20 minutes of Lou’s time and asked him to clarify how video can be used to boost your visibility on the Web.

Interview with Lou Bortone

(20:29 min)

Denise: Hi. I’m Denise Wakeman, founder of The Blog Squad and today I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak to my friend and colleague, Lou Bortone. Lou and I have known each other for a few years and have partnered on a couple of projects most notably, our self study course “Online Video Made Easy.”

Lou is an online branding specialist, a video pro, and a visibility expert. A man after my own heart. He’s also known for his wacky LouTube videos. I’m not sure if he’s making these any more, I’ll have to check on that. Also, he’s well known for the montage videos that he frequently creates to celebrate people he knows.

The purpose of talking with Lou today is to learn about his perspective on creating visibility with video and why it’s so important. Welcome Lou.